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Blogging About Blogging The Movie

Prija Phaphouampheng, the Sneaky Bastard over at Cash for Comments came up with a guerrilla marketing idea that is so crazy, it just might work. Prija wants to make a movie call Blogging The Movie. The feature documentary will follow ten bloggers as they go about their daily lives for three to seven days. In order to get the project off the ground, Prija needs to generate some buzz and raise some money. There’s no better way to get that than by ordering a ReviewMe review to get the John Chow Effect.

Raise $50,000 By Giving Away Two Cars

Prija has came up a very aggressive promotion to raise the $50,000 needed to bring Blogging The Movie to life. He plans to give away two cars. Who is paying for these cars? Hopefully, you will. Advertisers may sponsor the cars for $100. In exchange for the cash you will get the following benefits.

Only 500 sponsorship spots are available. I can only picture what a Scion tC with 500 URLs on it will look like. One of the cars will be given to Prija’s little sister in a “big brother gives little sister a car” tear jerking TV moment. The other car will be given away to one lucky winner. You do not have to purchase a sponsorship spot to win the car. The winner will also be part of the movie.

Two Scion tC Cost $35,600. Where Is The Rest of The $50,000 Going?

Product of stickers ads= $1,000-1,500

Blog World Expo booth = $2,500-$10,000

Initial Filming = $2,000-$10,000

Prija is going all in with this promotion. If all 500 sponsorship spots are not bought you will receive a full refund on 09/01/2008. However you will still get your permanent link and the two free reviews. So sponsoring the Blogging The Movie should be a no risk proposition.

Has This Guy Ever Filmed a Movie Before?

My first question upon hearing this idea was what kind of filming experience, if any, does Prija have? From his Cash for Comment blog, I can tell that he is good at marketing but I do not know if he can produce a movie. So I emailed him and asked. This was his reply.

I have Paperplane Productions to do the filming and editing. They are a small independent film company in Orange County that specializes in documentaries. They have done some behind the scenes documentary work for The Rebel – the most expensive Vietnamese blockbuster movie that is soon to be released in Vietnam. The film crew flew over to Vietnam and filmed in the jungles in extreme conditions. So I believe filming 10 bloggers all over the world will be a nice vacation.

Pulling it off? To answer this question is it not just going to be a one man project. I currently have a PR rep who will be handling the press releases and he will be contacting media outlets. I have a film crew. I have a music producer for the movie. I have a photographer for photo ops. The media needs newsworthy information that’s why I’m planning on giving away the free car. I’m also giving one away to my little sister, because it will be a more heart felt story.

Why should this work? I’m not trying to aim to get 1 million dollars with 10,000 ads. I’m only want to reach 50k with 500 ads. It has never been done before, and I will be the first.

World Wide Casting Call for Bloggers

If you would like to be one of the ten bloggers to be featured in Blogging The Movie, then copy and paste the fields below and put it on your blog with the answers to the questions.

Real Name:

Blog URL:

Niche Market:

Something interesting about yourself:

Why is your blog different from the everyone else?:

What are you most afraid of?:

Try to keep the entry to less than 500 words. Once posted on your blog, send the URL to [email protected] If you are selected, Blogging The Movie will film your blogging life for three to seven days. Prija is hoping to film in the summer of 2008. This casting call is open to bloggers world wide.

497 Sponsorship Spots Left

After reading through the Blogging The Movie and Cash for Comments blog, I decided to pony up the $100 for a sponsorship spot. Just like the Million Dollar Wiki, the advertisers who get in early will reap the most benefits if Prija is able to pull this project off. If he doesn’t sell out the sponsorship spots, we’ll get our money back. If he doesn’t give us our money back, I know where he lives and he’ll be paid a visit from Ricky and the boys. Believe me, you don’t want a visit from Ricky and the boys.

Like the Million Dollar Wiki, Blogging The Movie will make heavy use of viral marketing. This review is just the start of the campaign. Once word of the project starts spreading across the Internet, Prija shouldn’t have much problems selling all 500 sponsorship spots. I wish Prija the best of luck and hope to see Blogging The Movie at a future film festival.

Yeah, so I’m wondering where the rest of the money is coming from? I can’t find it on the blog. $10,000 could possibly get a film crew to the first country for a week, but what about the other 9 countries?

Even if he raises the $50k, I don’t see how he’ll have enough funds left after the car purchase to actually make the movie.

Quite easily. Get media press, from there get real investors involved. That will fork loads of cash as an investment. I have friends in the documentary business. Its a process. You need to pitch them an idea and gain media exposure. That is what the trailer is for.

I have friends in the film industry to push this movie. They just need to know that it has publicity and that there is a strong community. Blogging is the fast growing community out there with a user based of 12 million.

As described my sister will only get the car if all 500 sponsorships are sold. If only 499 are sold everyone will get a refund on 09/01/08.

If my sister gets her car, then everyone else will get what they were entitled to. I hope this answers your questions.

If he knew what he was doing, he could make the movie for a lot less money using good digital video equipment and an Apple computer with film editing software.

Personally, I would never watch something called Blogging The Movie, and I really could not care less about the goings on in almost anyone’s daily life (the subject matter simply lends it self to cheap films, like reality shows — YAWN). And I never work for points or for the chance to win a prize: keeping working that way and you end up working for about 1.5 cents per day.

Yeah it would be really interesting to see 500 domain names printed on the body of a car, and I think I read somewhere the winner of the car has to keep those names on the car body for a certain period of time.

I was also impressed with Prija’s marketing ideas which inspired me to take part in his latest Jet Train which won me a book and a spot to his ‘book that traveled the world’ idea (which from what I understand will earn me a small feature in the movie)

I hope Prija goes all the way with his aggressive marketing ideas and achieves the hype he seems destined to get.

Surely I missed something? My first thought about a movie about blogging is “how boring.” No sex, no violence, no car crashes? Will the public go for that?
Maybe you could incorporate some of those things into the movie just so they’d watch it??!! It could be a blog about rating porn movies on your laptop, all while having sex in one of those fancy cars John loves so much, while driving 100 miles an hour and just barely avoiding other vehicles. That movie could really end with a bang! 😆

Sounds like buzz for the sake of buzz, i’d take a maid for a month before I wanted a scion but thats just me. I’m more curious about who really wrote this post, the spelling would drive the real john chow mad I tell you!

The part of sponsoring a car is a pretty copycat of my http://www.myporschecayman.com project where I also sell ad spots on the car in exchange for advertising on the car. Maybe I should also start selling reviews.

YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS? COME GET SOME!
A BUMPER? 100 bucks! What, you want pink writing on my tires? 100 bucks! You wan’t me to say you’re a cool dood in a movie? 100 bucks! 100 bucks baby and I’ll make you a movie star, right after I pay my sister a car first!

/sarcasm off, /reality on.

I just have to abuse this idea (a little, mad respect to John anyway)because it’s not legal and not moral… which is why it will work!

I’m also giving mad props to John’s honesty in changing the tag of this blog to be real. By now John has checked my IP and is considering deleting this post but he won’t! (Actually knowing John he checked my IP long ago, and if I say he won’t he actually will, He’s good at being evil).

Let’s turn up the heat a little ok John? I want to know why the new “$20.00 bidvertiser coupon” ad up top has MORE TYPOS! Will the real John Chow please come back! Killing birds with stones is illegal too… 😈

/rant off… I hate that you’re making me curious about things I hate to be curious about John. very evil!

who is this guy that is always posting without a name and URL? aren’t you man enough to post your URL instead of hiding. if you hate JC so much, just don’t read his blog… simple and sweet. geez.. this guy is really starting to tick me off. i’ve seen him in several places on commenting anonymously already.

back to this review … the idea is crazy but brilliant! good luck Prija

I’m not sure. Who would have predicted the success of Supersize Me, which was basically a man on a ridculous diet of eating McDonalds for an entire month. There are a lot if niche and independent movies being produced now and in the UK the number of independent cinemas are increasing and becoming more popular. Speaking of the UK, we have the National lottery which funds art projects and movies. Are there not any equivalent bodies in the US that would subsidise the movie? I really hope that it takes off. It is a very exciting project. Good luck 😀

You guys are really serious about making a movie about blogging? And a good percentage of you are really going to follow. What SHEEPS. I agree with Joshua, it has no selling points and what if he never makes all the required money, you guys just shelled out $100 to thin air. Not only that, you pay for a car for his little sister and you give your money to someone who calls himself “Sneaky Bastard”. There is no clause of being paid back if he doesn’t make it. Is there? Also, this is not the first ever blog movie. Just do a search on google for “blogumentary” or “weblogging”. I wonder if I took a picture of my ass and allowed people to slap ads on it, would you pay $100 for each ad slapped on my barenaked ass. Now thats entertainment, original and it reaches low. You guys have no real talent. Just sheep. Followers. Get original and get out of the John Chow, Shoemoney bubble. Cookie Cutters.

By the way there is another contest from Amazon for $100,000. You can read details on my blog. However, regarding the contest above how would the cars be sent if the winner is from outside Canada or US?? 😯

To the anonymous doubting commenter above, not only do we get our $100 back if the movie isn’t made, we still get a permanent link back and 2 reviews – essentially for free. If the movie *is* made, then we also get the ad on the car and the chance to win a car.

The first 20 sponsors get a link on the sidebar under “Featured Sites” on the Blogging Movie homepage, which is being visited by a lot of people. I’ve already received traffic from it and I just bought the sponsorship yesterday.

You underestimate the value of viral marketing. There are risks, but with this, I’ll get my money back if he doesn’t get all the money he needs for the movie.

Early adopters for this benefit the most. You doubt this, but have you ever tried anything like this?

There is a reason people jump all over these opportunities, and it’s not because we’re “sheep.” It’s because it’s worth every penny.

All said and done. I hope the efforts pay off in the way of the movie actually doing good business. Though its fun to read these great blogs, I wonder how entertaining would watching bloggers go about their daily lives be. It need to be really made.

"How I Went From Zero to Over $100,000 a Month"

The Original Dot Com Mogul

John Chow, a damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales Foundation, the man who controls the black market on baby seal pelts and member of the probably yo’ daddy foundation...

John Chow rocketed onto the blogging scene when he showed the income power of blogging by taking his blog from making zero to over $40,000 per month in just two years.